Table of contents
Introduction: What is Gratitude
1. The Science Behind Gratitude
2. The Benefits of Practicing Gratitude Daily
3. Practical Tips on How to Cultivate Gratitude
4. Overcoming Common Challenges to Gratitude
5. How Gratitude Transforms Relationships?
6. What am I Most Grateful For?
7. Conclusion: Why is Gratitude a Lifelong Practice
Introduction: What is Gratitude?
In simple terms, gratitude is being thankful for what you have no matter what you are going through. It is a general feeling of appreciation for the life that you have and being content at all times. Why does gratitude matter? Gratitude matters because in the world of immediate gratification, feeling thankful can make a huge difference in your overall mental health. Gratitude however goes beyond just saying "thank you" it is a lot more meaningful and deeper than that. There is a huge difference between focusing on what you have versus what you lack. The shift in the two will be mind blowing. Keep this question in mind as you continue reading: How can gratitude help shift my perspective? Also ask yourself: what are the benefits of gratitude?
In this blog post, I will explore the following: The science behind gratitude, the benefits of practicing gratitude daily, practical tips on how to cultivate gratitude, how to overcome common challenges to living through gratitude, how to use gratitude to transform your relationships and I will also share with you what I am most grateful for.
1. The Science Behind Gratitude
Most people when they think about Gratitude don't automatically think about the science behind gratitude or even that there is a science behind it. Practicing gratitude may have the ability to rewire your brain. Which in my point of view is huge! This means that if you can rewire your brain with a gratuitous gesture then you are able to control the negative thoughts that are swirling in your brain from day to day. How does this rewiring process translate into having an impact on your mental health? Here are the health benefits of thankfulness:
Increase happiness
Showing gratitude will actually increase your happiness. I find it impossible to be sad when I am using grateful language. When you speak words of gratitude, you are speaking life into your general happiness. It is a great way to control how you are feeling at a particular time.
Stress reducer
If your happiness is up, then naturally your stress level should go down. If you are able to change how you see your life at any particular time and focus on what is positive, then it is hard to feel stressed out.
Better sleep
Now we can drill down further into cause and effect. If you are generally happier and you have reduced stress, then sleep becomes easier. Your mind will drift off to sleep knowing that you are at peace with where you are in life.
Lower blood pressure
Stress and worry is a huge contributor to your blood pressure. If you are able to control your stress level, it will also have an impact on your blood pressure.
Brain changes
Gratitude regulates the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for the anxiety receptors in the brain. There is a true connection between gratitude and the dopamine/serotonin in our brain. Both of which are seen as the "feel-good" receptors in our brains. This means that gratitude creates a physiological change that works in our favor.
2. The Benefits of Practicing Gratitude Daily
The main word to focus on when thinking about the benefits of gratitude is: practice. It takes being intentional in your mindset in order to really capture the benefits of gratitude. Here are some very important benefits of practicing gratitude daily:
Increase positivity
You and other people around you will notice a real boost in your positivity. As I have mentioned above, it is hard to be negative when positive words of thanks are coming out of your mouth. Pause right now and try it. Think of a situation in your life that is causing you concern and say something positive about it. For example, something like my child is acting up in school but I am thankful for what they will do in the future. Or my career is not where I would want it to be but I am grateful that I have a job.
Increase resilience
How can you not be more resilient if you create a new way of thinking about your life? Gratitude allows you to see your strength. It makes you believe that you are able to get through anything as long as you remain thankful. It helps you to not feel as defeated but fuels your will to do more and be more.
Stronger relationships
When you practice gratitude, the bond you will have with the people around you will become stronger. Your connection to others will increase as they see how positive you are becoming and that you are also appreciative of them and what they add to your life.
Increased empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to the feelings of others. Gratitude allows you to appreciate others through an empathetic lens. The next time that complaining friend calls you to complain yet again, the gratitude in you will be thankful for having that person in your life. It will also help you to listen to them more.
Increased energy
Since gratitude has a scientific component: then energy and gratitude go hand in hand. If your mood is up, so is your energy and your zest for life.
3. Practical tips on how to cultivate gratitude
As I have mentioned before, practicing gratitude is an intentional act, you have to live through gratitude everyday in order for it to help shift your mindset. So how do you cultivate or grow your gratitude? Here are some practical tips you can start right now:
Start a gratitude journal
You can start to write down all the things that you are grateful for on a daily basis. Get the most out of your journal by answering these key things each day:
- How am I feeling today?
- Things I am grateful for today?
- What were some of my habits that created gratitude?
- What things did I tell myself today that affirmed a positive nature?
- What are some of the things that made me smile today?
Practice mindful reflection
Take at least 10-15 minutes each day to count your blessings. You will begin to force yourself to see all the things that are great in your life. After a while you will feel as if you are running out of the number of things that you are blessed with.
Write Gratitude letters
Send letters to people in your life that you are grateful for. Tell them how much of a difference they have made in your life. Many people don't send snail mail(mail through the postal system versus an email) anymore but this could be a great surprise for someone special when they go check their mailbox. Imagine them receiving a gratitude letter instead of a household bill.
Start a gratitude jar
Buy yourself a large jar. Each day drop into the jar something that you are grateful for. It is a great way to count your blessings as well.
Start doing gratitude meditation
If you are a person who likes to meditate, then use meditation to also practice gratitude. Here is how you do this:
Step 1: Find a comfortable and quiet place and sit upright
Step 2: Close your eyes and center yourself in your breathing
Step 3: Breathe deeply-Inhale and exhale
Step 4: Focus on something you are grateful for
Step 5: Keep deep breathing
Step 6: Continue to focus on the things you are grateful for
Step 7: Open your eyes when you are ready. Repeat steps as many times as needed
4. Overcoming Common Challenges
One thing to be certain of is that there will be challenges. Practicing gratitude is still necessary through challenges.. Your mind will play tricks on you and want to bring you back to a place of comfort and complaining. Furthermore, staying positive during hard times is truly difficult. Sometimes it is hard to see your blessings when your whole world is crumbling around you. But staying grateful during difficult times is possible.
Addressing negativity
In order for you to get past negativity, you have to address it head on. Training the mind not to be negative is a very difficult endeavor.. As humans we tend to think the worst things automatically. Here are three tips to addressing the negativity monster in your head:
Related content: How to create success through a positive mindset?
Stay calm: Nothing good comes from a place of panic. Stay calm by focusing on your breathing. Don't allow the bad situation to take over and overwhelm you.
Challenge them: Start talking back to your negative thoughts. Tell that negative monster that there is no room for him or her. If possible, shout it out loud and tell that thought to get out. Try it!
Cripple it- Cripple the negative thoughts by speaking only positive thoughts. Try saying positive things over and over again for about 10 minutes. You will notice that the positive thoughts will start to take over the negative ones.
Managing stress with a grateful mindset
Having a strategy on how to manage stress is truly important. Stress is a part of life, so it will come to your life at some point or another. Using a grateful mindset won't take away the stressors in your life but it will make a difference in how you see the things causing stress in your life. Here is a strategy that I try to use to stay in a grateful mindset.
Related content: 10 Secrets to a Happy life in 2024
Don't focus on the problem
If you focus on the problem, then the problem becomes the driver in your circumstances. I know this sounds easier said than done but if you put too much focus on what you are going through then you will for sure miss the blessing. You will keep telling yourself negative things.
Focus on the solution
If you shift your focus over to the solution, then your whole way of addressing stressors will change. While focusing on the solution, this is where you also include your gratitude. Go ahead and say thank you to your maker for getting you out of the problem. See yourself out of the problem as if it has already been solved.
Don't live by sight
Living by sight is one of the ways in which individuals miss their blessings or the blessings that are to come in the future. Living by sight means that you see how bad or dramatic your life is and you start believing that your circumstances are who you are. Living by sight does not account for the turnaround or your breakthrough. Sight becomes deceptive. Instead train yourself not to see what is but what can be. It takes some practice and some wilful intent but it is doable.
Cultivating gratitude during difficult times: Strategies for reframing struggles
It is hard to believe that you can cultivate or grow your gratitude even in hard times but here are things you can do along with what I have said above to do so:
Volunteer your time
When you feel like you are going through a difficult time in your life, then it is the perfect time to go out there and give of yourself. This will also help you to stop focusing on the problem or yourself. Giving back is one of the best ways that I know to feel better about myself. Especially when you get to experience life through the lens of people less fortunate than you. It will allow you to see how blessed you truly are and is a great reducer of what you think might be catastrophic in your life. Perspective is everything.
Connect with nature
The beauty of nature is captivating. The sights and smells alone can transform your mood and give you a sense of how magnificent of a role you can play in this world. That is something to be thankful for. You are just as important as the trees, the rivers and the lakes. Be thankful that you are a part of it. This connection with nature will allow your mind to stay in growth. It is also a great way to see how the cyclical pattern of the plants and the trees are a metaphor for what you might be going through. A season for everything, for everything a season. Whatever you are going through also has a season and it too will pass.
Ask for help
A lot of people think that asking for help is a sign of weakness but I believe that it is the most courageous thing anyone can do. The act of asking for help humbles you and through humility you can find your thankfulness. Someone helping you is truly something you can be thankful for.
5. How Gratitude Transforms Relationships
How to express gratitude in your relationships?
A key component of a grateful mindset is how you unleash your gratitude on the people that you love. Don't wait until someone is gone from your life to tell them how much you appreciate them and are thankful for them. Express your gratitude every chance that you get.
The ripple effect of gratitude
Yes, there is a ripple effect to expressing gratitude. It is infectious and contagious! People who are shown gratitude are more likely themselves to show gratitude to others. It is the ultimate fuel to pay it forward.
6. What am I Most Grateful For?
There are several things that I am grateful for in my life. But I am most grateful for my 4 beautiful children, here is why I am grateful for them:
KMR
He is my oldest, he was not easy to raise. He has given me his fair share of trouble in his life. At 28, it is not completely over yet. But I am thankful for him because he was my introduction into motherhood. The first time I realized the true meaning of love and sacrifice. I remember the first time I saw his face, my desire to do better in life became almost overwhelming. His father had disappeared from me before he was born and I knew it would be just him and I. Despite his troubled life, he knows how to do two very important things: to say "I love you" and to say "I'm sorry." Love and repentance tells me that he is redeemable and for that I thank God.
AAA
She is my second oldest at 15, almost 16. My second introduction into motherhood. My rainbow baby. The one that came along after a devastating loss. I am thankful for her beauty. The beautiful brown eyes that God gave her. Although she is reserved in nature and her heart is strikingly mysterious. She is talented even though she doesn't always recognize her Godly gifts. I'm thankful for all the times she has called me "mom" with a hint of "I want something and "I love you" all mixed into one.
RRA
My third introduction into motherhood is my 12 year old. She was the happiest baby out of all my babies. She smiled the most as a baby and had this ability to make everyone feel special. She still has this gift and I am thankful for that. I'm thankful for her ability to form deep friendships. I'm thankful for the days she wants to fall at my side and just cuddle with me. I'm thankful for her inside out beauty.
JPA
My last baby, he is remarkable at 8 almost 9. I'm thankful for his love of books. The delightful journey into his love of words amazes my understanding of him. He was my only drug free delivery baby. I wanted the epidural and the nurse quickly told me that there was no time for that, he was already coming out. If I had waited 45 minutes more at home, I would have delivered him there. He came into the world fast and his enthusiasm for the world shows through this burst. I'm grateful for his hugs and his cuddles.
7. Conclusion: Why is Gratitude a Lifelong Practice
When you think of gratitude, don't just think of it as just an act of saying thank you. Think of it as a mindset. A progressive way of thinking. As I have mentioned in this post, practicing gratitude has many benefits. It has the strength to have lasting effects on your health and your long-term growth. At the beginning of my post, I asked you to keep this question in mind as you read: How can gratitude shift my perspective? Now is your chance to find out. Start your gratitude journey today. Think about what that looks like. The power of gratefulness is awaiting you.
Comment below what you are most grateful for.
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